THE new £10 banknote featuring Jane Austen will be issued on Thursday and will start appearing in the nation’s wallets in the following days as it leaves cash centres around the country.

Here's what you need to know:

When will I see my first new £10 note?

Around 48,000 ATMs dispense £10 notes and most are expected to switch to dispensing the new notes over the first month.

What's new?

On the front of the polymer £10 note (the side with raised print), there are two clusters of raised dots in the top left hand corner. This tactile feature helps blind and partially sighted people identify the value of the note.

The polymer £20 will also have a tactile feature, but with a different pattern. The polymer £5 will be identifiable as the only polymer note without a tactile feature.

Jane Austen will also be the first woman to appear on the back of banknotes.

2017 marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. She is buried at Winchester Cathedral, which appears on the new £10 note.

Why the change?

The Bank of England says polymer notes are cleaner, more secure and last longer than paper notes. They will provide enhanced counterfeit resilience, and increase the quality of notes in circulation.

Though polymer notes are not indestructible, they can withstand more wear and tear than their paper counterparts and are expected to last at least 2.5 times longer.

When do I need to spend my old £10 notes by?

You can continue to use the paper £10 note, featuring Charles Darwin, until it is withdrawn from circulation in Spring 2018.

When will there be a new £20 note?

The polymer £20 note, featuring the artist J.M.W Turner, will be launched in 2020. 

Is anything else changing?

Don't forget to use your old £1 coins by October 15.